Tongs for handling crucibles in glass and like furnace practice.



J. B. LOU'BRIAT.

TONGS FOR HANDLING GRUGIBLES IN GLASS AND LIKE FURNACE PRACTICE.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 8, 1910.

Patented Dec. 17, 1912.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JEAN BAPTISTE LOUBRIAT OF AISEAU, BELGIUM.

TONGS FOR HANDLING URUCIBLES IN GLASS AND LIKE FURNACE PRACTICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 17, 1912.

Application filed October 8, 1910. Serial No. 586,015.

invented new and useful Improvements in' Tongs for Handling Crucibles in Glass and Like Furnace Practice, of which the following is a specification.

This invention consists essentially of a pair of tongs secured to a frame and adapted to be operated and shifted, in the said frame,

.for the purpose of gripping the crucible and drawing it out of the furnace, and also for tilting the crucible on to the pouring table and returning it to the furnace.

Mechanical unloading devices for unloadfrom the furnace, are already known in glass'works, but hitherto the tongs used have not permitted the crucible-to be tilted at the time it is unloaded; that is to say, the crucible, havingbeen unloaded from the furnace by means of one pair of tongs, had to be released and gripped by another pair of tongs which tilted it, and

finally, it had to be released by this latter pair of tongs and seized again and returned to 1 the furnace by the unloading tongs. These various operations entailed a good deal of handling and, by reason of theirv slowness, the consecutive re-cooling of the molten mass, and'the joltings to which said mass was subjected, the'quality of the glass was impaired and the costof production increased. ;Moreover, the crucibles deteri0-; 1 rated more rapidly through the number of shocks and the longer cooling periods to which they were exposed.

The unloading and tilting tongs forming the subject of the present invention, obviates the drawbacks referred to. It can be worked by a single operative, and having taken hold of the crucible in the furnace, enable it to be drawn 'out'of same, tilted and returned to the furnace without any loss of time, shock, or interruption of the handling.

In the accompanying drawings which illustrate one form of carrying out the invention:-Figure 1 is an elevation of the apparatus. Fig. '2 is a sectional plan on the line A-BCD of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a view, on a larger scale, showing the method of articulating the tongs on to the frame.

The tongs is formed by two arms 1, pivoted at 2 in the circular piece 3, which is mounted on ball bearings in the'- housin 4 secured to the frame 5, which is suspen ed on the turntable 6 of the carriage 7 i of the traveling'crane 8, by means of pulleys 9 over which are passed the suspension chains 10 of the hoisting-winch 11. The shaft 12, rotatable in the bearing 13 secured to the frame 5, is rectangular in cross-section (see Fig. 3), where it is housed in the center of the piece3 so as to be incapable of rotating therein since it comes-in contact "with the inner sides of the tongs 1, -1. On the rear I end of this shaft 12 is keyed the pinion 14: which engages with the pinion 15, adapted to be operated by the hand wheel 16, the shaft of which is provided with a ratchet and pawl device 17. This hand wheel 16 serves for turning the tongs about its longitudinal axis, for the purpose of tilting the crucible. The two arms 1 of the. tongs are guided in the slide 18 which is secured on the shaft 12, and thesaid arms are operated for opening and shutting the tongs, by means of a hand wheel 19 keyed on the end of the screw 20, having right and left handed threads orking in movable nuts 21.

The shaft 12 extends between the jaws of the tongs and terminates in a spring stop or buffer 22, the purpose of which is to limit, in an elastic manner, the entry of the crucible between the jaws of the tongs.

The frame 5 is pivotally attached to andv supported by the housing of one of the pulleys 9 at 24 and is also supported by a nut. 28 mounted on a threaded shaft 29 which is attached to the housing of the other pulley 9 at 23. The nut 28 has a bevel wheel 27 integral therewith which gears with a bevel pinion 26, the shaft of which carries a hand wheel 25. Byturning the v hand wheel 25 the-nut 28 is rotated on the threadedshaft 29 with" the result that the frame 5 is turned or tilted about the pivot 24.

same, balance the weight of the tongs and the crucible filled with glass when the said crucible isbeing held by the tongs. From The frame 5 and the cab'33 provided on v this cab, which can be loaded with extra weights so as to balance any given addi tional weight of the tongs, crucible andcharge, the operative controls the different electrical devices by means of controllers 34, 35, 36 and 37 for the motors effecting the lifting, the shifting of the carriage, the rotation of the turntable and also the travel- .ing movement of thecrane.

.To unload the crucible and tilt it over the pouring table, the tongs is brought in the known manner by means of the traveling crane 8-into position'for seizing the crucible in thejfurnace, and the tongs is then caused to grip the crucible by means of the hand Wheel 19. If, at this moment, the

winches 11 were operated by means. of the controller 34-, the crucible might be damaged by colliding with the bed of the furnace. I To prevent this,.the frame 5 is caused to oscillate slightly about the joint 24, by means of the hand wheel 25; the rear portion of the frame 5 descends by gravity and with a predetermined force, due to the balancing provided for the frame, and the crucible is raised gently. Then by suitably operating the different controllers, the crucible can then be lifted above the pouring table and tilted, the tenons 31 being at that moment in 1 engagement with the guides 32 for the purpose already described. The same movements in reversed order enable the crucible to be returned into the furnace.

Of course the invention is not restricted. to the particular construction shown, for in-- stance, the mode of operating the various the tongs is rotatably mounted, means for operating the tongs, means for raising and lowering said frame, guides mounted on said support, tenons carried by said frame and adapted to engage with said guides when the frame is inits'raised position, means for turning the tongs about its longitudinal axis and means for tilting the frame in a longitudinal direction.

2. For handling crucibles in glass and like furnace practice the combination with a pair of tongs of a traveling support, a frame articulated to said support, a housing supported by said frame. a member mounted on ball bearings within said housing and to which said tongs is pivoted, means for-operating the tongs means for raising and lowering said frame, means for turning the tongs about its longitudinal-axis and means for tilting the frame in a longitudinal direction.

i 3. For handling crucibles in glass and like furnace practice the combination with a pair of tongs of a traveling support, a frame and adapted to engage said guides when the frame is in its raised position, and means for tilting the frame in a longitudinal direction.

4. For handling crucibles in glass and like furnace practice the combination with a pair of tongs of a traveling support, a frame articulated to said support, a housing supported by said frame, a member mounted on ball bearings within saidhousing and to which said. tongs is pivoted, a shaft rigid with said member and disposed in the longitudinal center of the tongs, means for rotating the said shaft comprising gear wheels and a hand wheel, means for operating the tongs comprising a nut mounted on each arm of the tongs and a screw shaft having right and left handed screw threads said threads engaging said nuts and hand wheel mounted on said screw shaft, -means for raising and lowering said frame, guides mounted on said support, tenons carried by said'frame and adapted to engage said guides when the frame is in its raised position and means for'tilting the frame in a longitudinal direction.

p 5. For handling crucibles in glass and like furnace practice the combination with a pair-of tongs of a traveling support, a frame pivoted to said sup port at one point, a screwshaft.connected to the support at another point, a nut mounted on said frame and engaging said screw shaft, a bevel pinion carried by said nut and meshing with another bevel pinion mounted on a spindle, a hand wheel mounted on said spindle whereby said nut may be rotated and the frame tilted in alongitudinal direction, a h using supported by 'said frame, a member mounted on ball bearings within said housing and to which said tongs is pivoted, a shaft rigid withsaid member and disposed in the longitudinal center of the tongs, means for rotat ing said shaft comprising a gear wheel mounted on said shaft and meshing with a pinion mounted on a spindle and a hand wheel mounted on said spindle, means for operat ing the tongs comprising a nut mounted on each arm of the tongs and a screw-shaft having right and left handed screw threads which engage the nuts and a hand wheel mounted on said screw-shaft, means for raising and lowering said frame, guides mounted on said support and tenons carried by said frame and adapted to engage said guides when the frame is in its raised position.

6. For handling crucibles in glass and rotated and the frame tilted in a longitudinal direction, a housing supported by said frame, a pair of tongs, a member mounted on ballbearings within said housing and to which said tongs pivoted, a' shaft rigid with said member and disposed in the longitudinal center of the tongs, means for rotating said shaft comprising a gear wheel mounted on said shaft and meshing with a pinion mounted on a spindle and a hand wheel mounted on said spindle, means for operating the tongs comprising a nut mountwheel mounted on said screw shaft, guides,

mouiited on said support and tenons carried by said frame and adapted to engage said guides when the frame is in its raised position 7. For handling crucibles in glass and like furnace practice the combination with a pair of tongs of a traveling support a frame articulated to said support and within'which the tongs is rotatably mounted, a cab forming part of said frame, controlling means for the traveling support.located-in said cab, means for operating the tongs said means being located in close proximity to the cab, means located within the cab for turning the tongs about its longitudinal axis and means for tilting the frame in a longitudinal direction also located in close proximity to the cab substantially as described.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my'hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

JEAN BAPTISTE LOUBRIAT. WVitnesses to the signature of Jean Baptiste Loubriat:

P. DESGUI-N,

L. DESGUIN. 

